Mackinac Island in 13,705 Steps...

Something that has been on our list for many years was ferrying over to Mackinac Island, a place where the horse is king, where the streets have been car-free for 128 years. It is a place where life moves at the clip-clop pace of a carriage, and where the noise of day-to-day life is silenced by the delightful ding of a leisurely bicycle bell.

I love this description, "Mackinac Island is a place full of history where centuries-old forts and ancient rock formations have stood the test of time, and where it seems as though time stands still. It is a place where you can pause to smell the sweet scent of lilacs, and where you can treat your tongue to the simple pleasure of world-famous fudge. But more than a place to go, Mackinac Island is a state of mind. One of the best places in the world, yet fully a world apart. And when you visit, no matter where else you’ve been, you’ll realize that there is only one Mackinac Island."

We began our day's exploring drinking coffee on the front porch of the Windermere Hotel, a historic, 26-room Victorian hotel.

Originally constructed in 1887 as a private summer residence, it opened as a hotel in 1904. It has be operated by the Doud family for over a century (managed by Margaret Doud, the long-serving mayor of Mackinac Island). It was Margaret who graciously invited us have a cup of coffee and to sit on her porch as long as we liked. Too wonderful.

The most famous landmark here is the Grand Hotel which first opened its doors in 1887. It was build as a summer retreat for vacationers who traveled to Michigan by train, and then came to Mackinac Island via steamer and boat. Throughout its time as America’s Summer Place, one family nurtured and guided the hotel’s growth to a highly celebrated and much-beloved getaway. Today, this National Historic Landmark continues to beguile guests with old-world hospitality and charm, inspired enhancements, and a heritage to be preserved for generations to come. "For the old and new of it. Grand Hotel."

The 1980 film Somewhere in Time starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. Wanting to familiarize ourselves with the movie's various locales, we watched it. When it came out 46 years ago, it faced poor initial box office earnings and harsh reviews from critics upon release, but it later grew into a beloved cult classic. I agree with the original reviewers but I will keep my harsh reviews to myself.

Ironically, these two horses have the same names as two of the characters in a 1980 movie I did like, The Blues Brothers. Is it a coincidence?

Named directly after the iconic characters played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood are massive Percheron draft horses leased by the Grand Hotel from the local carriage tour business.

After admiring the hotel's exterior (it cost $14 each just to enter), we headed up the West Bluff to learn about the Summer Cottages. Located on leased Mackinac Island State Park land, the cottage lots were first made available in 1885. After 1895, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission continued leasing lots, although development of new leased property ended by 1920.The earliest cottages were fairly modest. Many of these were enlarged or replaced with "grander" versions following the opening of Grand Hotel in 1887. Grander, indeed!

We meandered the back streets and stumbled upon this lonely guy in someone's private stable. So sweet.

We then explored the Island's stables. So many horses keeping it going. We learned that the season is May to October. All the horses will winter on various farms on the Upper Peninsula.

We were surprised to learn that this was once Mackinac National Park, the second national park in the United States. President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law on March 3, 1875, just three years after Yellowstone. The NP occupied a large portion of Mackinac Island but closed in 1895 when the local military post at Fort Mackinac was decommissioned. The land was then transferred to Michigan and became Mackinac Island State Park, which was the state's first state park. About 80% of the Island belongs to the State Park (hence the cottages being on leased land).

We visited to cemeteries today, beginning with the newer of the two. As the civilian population of Mackinac Island grew in the 19th century, residents began burying their dead and moving existing remains into separate Catholic and Protestant cemeteries near Post Cemetery. Although Ste. Anne's Cemetery is marked by gorgeous stone arches built in 1924, its oldest identified grave dates to 1833 when 8-year-old Mary Biddle passed away.

Mary's death happened in December. Her family was crossing the ice bridge from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace, a seasonal winter path that spans roughly 3.5 to 5 miles across the frozen Straits of Mackinac. This bridge is still used by adventurers. You couldn't pay me to traverse an ice bridge... ever.

Our second was this military cemetery that's designated as a National Historic Landmark. Mackinac Island's Post Cemetery is the oldest cemetery on the island and contains graves that date all the way back to the War of 1812. Both British and American soldiers are buried here. But because many early burials were simply marked with wooden crosses that have long since decayed and disappeared, many burials are no longer identified. Of 108 burials, only 39 remain known.

So some background history... While the Mayflower was bringing Pilgrims to New England in 1620, French explorers were venturing westward toward the Upper Great Lakes into what was then known as New France. It would be 14 years until a European first laid eyes on Mackinac Island, and 50 years until a Catholic mission was established.

By 1720, the Straits of Mackinac had become the primary transportation corridor in the Upper Great Lakes, fueling a vibrant fur trade that powered the economy of New France. Just five years earlier, to safeguard the fur trade, the French built Fort Michilimackinac on the mainland at the tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, in what is now Mackinaw City. But while the fur trade would remain the primary economic activity in the Straits well into the 19th century, in just over 40 years the French would relinquish control of Fort Michilimackinac to the British following the French & Indian War.

Interestingly, even though the Americans declared independence in the 1770s, Mackinac Island by this time only recently had come under the control of the United States by treaty after the War of 1812. That war included the famous Battle of Mackinac when the British repelled an American attack. Why were they fighting on Mackinac Island? Because in 1780 the British moved Fort Michilimackinac to the Mackinac Island’s high bluffs, where it remains to this day as Fort Mackinac. A visit to the Fort happened after lunch.

The "Somewhere in Time" gazebo was built by Michigan State Historic Parks staff as a prop for the movie, on behalf of Universal Studios. Spoiler alert: It’s not only the setting where Richard and Elise share a touching conclusion to their afternoon date, but it’s also where Elise’s manager, played by Christopher Plummer, later confronts Richard and has him kidnapped and beaten.

Our stroll lead us to Anne's Tablet, a 1916 Art Nouveau memorial bronze plaque that honors 19th-century author Constance Fenimore Woolson. It is named after her 1882 bestselling novel, Anne, which was one of the earliest widely read books set on Mackinac Island.

Here too we found ourselves on Cass Cliff. The 1915 plaque reads, "Named by the Michigan Historical Commission and Mackinac Island State Park Commission in honor of Lewis Cass: Teacher – Lawyer – Explorer, Soldier – Diplomat – Statesman. Born October 9th, 1782, died June 17th, 1866. An appointee by President Thomas Jefferson, he explored the country from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and negotiated with the Indian Tribes just treaties. His fair and generous treatment accorded to the Indians of the Northwest secured to the Peninsular State its peaceful settlement and continued prosperity.

My sister-in-law learned this story when she was in 8th grade. "On June 6, 1822, Alexis St. Martin (1804-1880), a French Canadian voyageur, was accidentally shot in the American Fur Company Store located on this site. Dr. William Beaumont (1786-1853), the Fort Mackinac post surgeon, nursed St. Martin back to health. St. Martin’s wound healed leaving a permanent opening into his stomach. Through this opening Beaumont compared the digestibility of foods, recorded the temperature of the stomach under different conditions, and extracted and analyzed gastric juice. Beaumont conducted the first of 250 experiments with St. Martin in 1825 in the Officers’ Stone Quarters at Fort Mackinac. Eight years later he published a groundbreaking book on his discovery of the digestive process. Wild, right?

Lunch was at Millie's on Main. We both had the very bad for us, yet very delicious YOOPER BEEF PASTIE..."Hearty Upper Peninsula favorite, flaky pastry filled with a savory blend of ground beef and pork, potatoes, rutabaga, onions and carrots. Served with brown gravy and coleslaw.

The history of the Fort is pretty amazing. I appreciate this summation, "Fort Mackinac was founded during the American Revolution. Believing Fort Michilimackinac at what is now Mackinaw City was too vulnerable to American attack, the British moved the fort to Mackinac Island in 1780. Americans took control in 1796. In July 1812, in the first land engagement of the War of 1812 in the United States, the British captured the fort. In a bloody battle in 1814 the Americans attempted but failed to retake the fort. It was returned to the United States after the war. The fort remained active until 1895. During these years Mackinac Island was transformed from a center of the fur trade into a major summer resort."

The stone ramparts, the south sally port and the Officer’s Stone Quarters are all part of the original fort built over 225 years ago. The other buildings in the fort are of more recent origin, dating from the late 1790s to 1885. The buildings have been restored to how they looked during the final years of the fort’s occupation. This was a fantastic place in which to explore. It was a perfect conclusion to our time on Mackinac Island.